I find it a bit surprising surprising that they didn't include this in their new Macbook Pro Retina.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11ac
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11ac
Im hoping it on the chip and can be enabled with a firmware upgrade.
Well, it's not exactly needed unless you do some heavy file transfers on your local network, which in case you'd be better off using a wired connection anyway.
I wouldn't mind it ofc, but I'm not at all disappointed.
Yes that's not gonna happen since it's different hardware, so if it's not already in the chip, it can't be enabled through software. I also see no reason they wouldn't advertise it if it was already in the hardware.
The BCM4331 IEEE 802.11n solution delivers full 3x3 with three transmitting and three receiving streams of data in both the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands. Increased number of streams and antennas results in faster speeds, longer range, fewer dropped connections, and better overall wireless coverage.
The new MBP doesn't have ethernet so going wired isn't an option either. So I guess people who need to transfer files are out of luck if it wasn't included.
By the time 802.11ac starts being commonplace, work on getting 802.11-terahertz will have started and make AC look unacceptably slow.so..just confirming: we WILL be able to physically upgrade to a future 802.11ac chip since this looks to be a slot in, non-soldered chip??
kinda crucial for people like MacRumoren and me who want to think about 3 years' time, not just now.
Yes that's not gonna happen since it's different hardware, so if it's not already in the chip, it can't be enabled through software. I also see no reason they wouldn't advertise it if it was already in the hardware.
802.11n should be enough for just about anybody at the moment. Unless you're streaming blu-ray movies from another computer or something.
The next-gen MacBook Pro is equipped with a decidedly this-gen wireless stack. In other words it uses the same 3x3:3 WiFi solution that was present in the 2011 MacBook Pro and is present in the non-Retina 2012 MacBook Pro as well: Broadcoms BCM4331.
Like a good silicon company Apple appears to mitigate risk in design by sticking with known-good components wherever possible. Major changes to the industrial design are typically paired with comparatively minor silicon changes, and other components are kept as static as possible so long as they dont overly compromise experience. While 802.11ac dongles and routers are just arriving today, Apple likely froze the Retina MBPs wireless configuration quite a while ago. Rather than be caught shipping potentially unratified hardware, Apple went the safe route and stuck with 802.11n.
Read more at http://www.anandtech.com/show/6023/...-retina-display-review/13#4m3Vw2rkjFsQSyup.99
It wouldn't surprise me if they did.
Well that's just a foolish statement. The MBPr DOES have Gigabit Ethernet support. It has an onboard Broadcom BCM57100 series Gigabit Ethernet/Memory Card reader controller. It just lacks the RJ45 connector. You need the Thunderbolt/GigE adapter to connect to it (explaining why the adapter is only $29, by the way). This is a far cry from the computer not having Ethernet. Frankly, I think needing the adapter for the rare times you won't be using WiFi is a great trade-off for being able to deliver a computer as thin and light-weight as the MBPr.The new MBP doesn't have ethernet so going wired isn't an option either. So I guess people who need to transfer files are out of luck if it wasn't included.
I frankly don't know if the Broadcom WiFi chipset in the MBPr can support 802.11ac. It is possible, and it would not be unprecedented.It would surprise me if Apple could write firmware that enabled hardware that isn't on their computer.
Well that would be cool. That would mean you could expect to get ~1.2Gb on an 802.11ac card that would fit in a case the size of a MBPr.According to Anandtech's review 3 spatial streams are used since the 2011 MBP, therefore, in my understanding, there are indeed 3 antennae in the MBP.
Well that would be cool. That would mean you could expect to get ~1.2Gb on an 802.11ac card that would fit in a case the size of a MBPr.
I guess I need to get back over to Anand's site.
Check out the 2011 Airport extreme and time capsule review. The info is there.
Can't you share the direct link here with us? That would save lots of time and make it easy for us to take the discussion ahead!